Crisis Management For Veterinarians

To prepare for the intentional and unintentional introductions of animal diseases into the nation's food production pathway, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has announced the release of an informational compact disc aimed at veterinarians and other first responders following possible animal disease outbreaks.
The CD is designed to ensure federal, state and private veterinarians have immediate access to information following a foreign animal disease outbreak so they will be better prepared to respond.

Entitled “Food Security: The Threat to American Livestock,” the CD was developed through Auburn University as part of a nationwide effort by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to ensure the safety of all animal and plant products processed through the nation’s food distribution centers. It is part of an extensive APHIS-sponsored effort to ensure its readiness to detect and respond to terrorist events involving plant or animal pathogens. Veterinarians and related professionals were specifically targeted because of the role they would play in such a crisis.

It’s All Relative With Fruits and Vegetables

All fruits and vegetables are healthy, but some are healthier than others.

Susie Nanney, acting director of the Obesity Prevention Center at Saint Louis University, has researched the issue and concluded that people aren’t eating fruits and vegetables offering the optimal levels of nutrients.
Her research, published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, offers the following color-coded advise to consumers regarding healthy eating:
• White: Eat cauliflower more often than potatoes, onions and mushrooms.
• Green: Eat more dark lettuces, such as romaine and red leaf lettuce, spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts instead of iceberg lettuce and green beans.
• Yellow/orange: Instead of corn or bananas, eat more carrots, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, oranges and grapefruit.
• Red: Choose tomatoes, red peppers and strawberries over apples.

Wrong Signal On Biotech

Dr. Henry I. Miller, a physician and Hoover Institution fellow, takes issue with an EPA proposal to monitor transgenic corn from space. He believes the policy not only is ill-conceived but will energize opposition to a technology that already has benefited the environment in a myriad of ways.
“EPA’s policy toward gene-spliced plants is so potentially damaging and outside the norms of sound science that it has galvanized the scientific community. A consortium of dozens of scientific societies representing more than 180,000 biologists and food professionals published a report warning the policy will discourage the development of new pest-resistant crops and prolong and increase the use of synthetic chemical pesticides, increase the regulatory burden for developers of pest-resistant crops, limit the use of biotechnology to larger developers who can pay the inflated regulatory costs, and handicap U.S. companies competing in international markets. All of these warnings have been borne out by the facts.”

Fructose Sweetener: A Factor Behind Obesity Spike?

Researchers believe they may have found a major culprit behind the huge spike in obesity: fructose sweetener, a corn product used to sweeten soft drinks and food since the 1970s.

Data accumulated by these researchers show the increase in the use high-fructose corn sweeteners in the late 1970s and 1980s corresponded with the rapid rise in obesity, said Dr. George A Bray, one of the researchers and an obesity expert with the Louisiana State University System’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Still, he noted the research does not establish a conclusive link.

High fructose remains a controversial food additive primarily because of what scientists know about how it is processed by the body. Unlike glucose, a major component in table sugar, fructose doesn't trigger responses in hormones that regulate energy use and appetite. That means it's more likely to be converted into fat, the researchers said.

Vanishing Forestland

More evidence of unrelenting suburban sprawl: North Carolina forestland is vanishing almost twice as fast as forestry experts expected, with more than 1-million acres absorbed through development since 1990.

Forests cover more than 18.3 million acres in North Carolina, roughly 59 percent of the state’s land --- five-percent less than in 1990.

This represents the least amount of forest acreage since the 1930’s, when forestland was cleared for agriculture. But don’t expect this land to revert to forestland as it did in the 1930’s, experts say. Once forestland is converted into subdivisions, shopping centers and offices, it stays that way.

Thinking Out of the Ocean

Here’s the challenge: People are eating much more fish, but reports indicate that wild fish resources have reached a plateau. That has forced aquaculturists to think out of the box – or out of the ocean, in this case – by developing new ways to farm fish.

One especially unique example is a fish tank in Fort Pierce where Pompano, a saltwater fish, coexists with its freshwater cousin, tilapia.

Researchers hope new technology not only will enable farmers to do this more profitably and efficiently but will offer the added advantage of helping many them expand their operations and even convert acreage from less profitable pursuits.

Stalled WTO Ag Talks

The way to breathe life into stalled World Trade Organization agricultural talks, trade officials say, is to build a framework for a deal. Otherwise, they fear, 2004 could turn out to be a wasted year.

The fact that 2004 is an election year for many WTO countries only compounds the problem.

Agriculture remains the biggest stumbling block in WTO negotiations to complete a new binding treaty on reducing import tariffs and other barriers to free international trade among the 146 WTO members.

The crux of the problem involves a call by developing nations to halt the $1-billion-dollar-a-day farm subsidies paid by affluent Western countries --- subsidies, they claim, provide Western farmers with an unfair advantage over their counterparts in developing countries.

For their part, Western countries want to see developing countries to reduce input duties on agricultural products and manufactured goods.

Eroding Brainpower, More Vitamin Fortification

The brainpower of entire nations has eroded. The problem: a shortage of the right vitamins. The solution: enriched foods, according to the United Nations.

The UN is prescribing a whole array of artificially fortified foods: soy sauce with zinc, “super salt” spiked with iron, cooking oil fortified with vitamin A.

Deficiencies of these vitamins are having an alarming effect in many developing countries, even in those where people usually have enough to eat, claims the UN.

Wide Open Trade

Canadian Ag Minister Bob Speller says his American counterpart has assured him the decision on resuming live cattle trade with Canada will be based on science rather than politics.

The question most Canadians are asking: When will this decision be made?

A public comment on dropping the current U.S. ban is scheduled to end April 7. Then U.S. agriculture officials will view what they’ve received.

Canadians argue that a rapprochement on this issue would offset a lot of the trouble from other trading partners who halted the beef trade following the BSE detections in Canada and the United States.

Help On The Way?

American Farm Bureau Federation is confident that comprehensive energy legislation pending in Congress will ease high energy prices impacting Americans, particularly farmers.

The legislation would boost domestic energy supplies by focusing on further development of renewable resources such as ethanol, biodiesel and wind, while at the same time increasing supplies of domestic traditional energy sources such as natural gas, oil and coal.

Testing Brouhaha

Creekstone Farms meat packing plant in Arkansas City, KS, is the focus of a growing dispute between some meat packers and the USDA.

Assured by the Japanese that they would resume purchases of their products if they adopt rigid BSE-related standards, Creekstone Farms aspires to be the first producer in the United States that tests every cow for BSE (so-called mad cow disease).

USDA counters that the effort not only is expensive but unnecessary.

Perception Trumps Reality --- Again

Once again, perception trumps reality: Despite all of the fretting over food safety following the recent discoveries of BSE, chicken flu and tainted tuna, the incidence of food-borne illness continues to decline.

In 2002, for example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 23-percent overall decrease in bacterial food-borne illnesses since 1996.

Even so, restaurants are dealing with a torrent of food safety-related concerns.

"Food safety issues used to come up once or twice a year, but now they are almost weekly," said Steven Grover, vice president of health and safety regulatory affairs for the National Restaurant Association. "We now have 24-7 news coverage. Many hazards put forth aren't really hazards at all when you look at the context but they are shocking and unusual."

The real irony is that the things that are most likely to make you sick draw scant attention from the media, largely because the “aren’t as exotic,” he said.

"Salmonella is the number one food borne killer, but that's not getting headlines," Grover said. "The ones that get reported in the news media aren't anywhere near the top. Unfortunately salmonella isn't sexy or isn't new."

Honoring A Visionary

Who saved more lives than anyone else in the world? Norman Borlaug, 1970 Nobel Laureate and father of the Green Revolution.

Former President Jimmy Carter, George McGovern and scientists throughout the world are joining the AgBioWorld Foundation in celebrating the 90th birthday of this eminent scholar.

"Dr. Norman Borlaug was the father of the Green Revolution that transformed much of the hungry Third World," said former senator George McGovern. "Dr. Borlaug's scientific leadership not only saved people from starvation, but the high-yield seeds he bred saved millions of square miles of wildlife from being plowed down. He is one of the great men of our age."

The AgBioWorld Foundation has compiled a series of links outlining major milestones in Borlaug’s life.

Trade Harmonization Now!

Fully restoring the North American cattle and beef trade following BSE detections in the United States and Canada will require these two countries and Mexico to step up efforts to harmonize beef trading rules.

That is the conclusion of the American Meat Institute and five other North American meat industry groups.

Leaders of the six groups cosigned a letter to cabinet-level ministers of all three countries commending their governments for their initial efforts at harmonization but urging that the process be given the highest priority.

“The North American beef industry is best served by eliminating technical barriers to trade. Each country has a sovereign right to establish regulations to ensure food safety and protect animal health, but too often those regulations are inconsistent with the Office of International Epizootics (OIE) standards and scientific rationale,” the groups wrote. “We agree with rules that are based on scientifically sound BSE control measures that protect animal health and public health, rather than precautionary rules that inhibit trade and impose unnecessary costs on a country’s citizens and its industries.”

Global Agriculture: The Big Picture

A meeting held recently in Billings, Montana, highlighted the tangled web of agricultural policies with which American farmers will be dealing within the next few years: free trade with Australia; an integrated beef market with Canada; and drastic changes in current European Union agricultural policies.

The meeting, sponsored by the National Farmers Union, drew more than 500 members from 45 states.

A synopsis of the discussion by four international trade experts…

Free trade with Australia will offer many opportunities for Australian and American farmers alike. Much like their American counterparts, Australian producers are having a tough going earning profits from major commodities such as wool, wheat, cotton, beef and dairy. But unlike American farmers, they have no farm bill and need a world market to remain profitable.

Meanwhile, Canadian cattle producers maintain that an integrated beef market has always benefited growers on both sides of the border --- something lost following detection of BSE in Canadian herds.

Finally, the European Union is contemplating a major shift in farm policy --- a greater emphasis on decoupling, single farm payments and freedom-to-farm-type principles.

As EU policy makers see it, progress in trade negotiations will depend on whether the United States and other developed countries are willing to address all forms of export subsidization --- “including subsidized export credits and food aid as a surplus disposal mechanism,” said Jean-Marc Trarieux, agricultural attache of the delegation of the European Commission to the United States.

Calorie-Restricted Diets: The Evidence Mounts

Research continues to show that calorie-restricted diets not only extend life but may even benefit people who adopt these diets comparatively late in life.

A study of mice at the relatively advanced age of 19 months reveals that those placed on a calorie-restricted diet lived 42 percent longer than litter mates who continued to eat a standard diet.

Stephen R. Spindler of the University of California, Riverside, researcher who led the study, said there is not yet sufficient evidence to show that dietary restrictions can extend human life. Nevertheless, at least among mice, sensible eating even at older ages clearly has a longevity benefit. A 19-month-old mouse, he said, is the age equivalent of 60 to 65 years in humans.

Dieting Via The Internet

Using the internet as a source of dieting information has exploded in recent years. It’s especially popular among people who lack the time to interact face-to-face with other dieters.

Still, while tens of thousands of Americans have benefited from this comparatively new and convenient source of information, nutrition experts are still concerned it may not be an adequate substitute for person-to-person weight counseling.

There’s also the added challenge of accountability.

"When people are trying to make major lifestyle changes, information typed on a page may only go so far for certain people," said Cynthia Sass, a Tampa, Fla.-based registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

AU: A Major Hub Of BSE Testing?

Auburn University could become a major major hub in a nationwide effort to monitor the nation’s cattle herd for presence of BSE, so-called mad cow disease. If a proposal by Alabama Congressman Mike Rogers passes muster, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries will receive a $2-million grant toward upgrading Auburn’s livestock testing facility.

Auburn University was selected as a prospective recipient of the grant because of its extensive research in animal sciences.

"Upgrading Auburn's research center is a common sense approach to better protecting the nation's food supply, and an efficient solution to a pressing national priority," Rogers said in a press release.

Staving Off A Nightmare

In what is described as a nightmare come true, plant pathologists are trying to halt the spread of a fungus that already has killed tens of thousands of oak trees in California. They’ve discovered that a southern California nursery has shipped potentially infected plants to more than 600 nurseries in 39 states.

"We're dealing with a significant emergency," says Steve Lyle, a spokesperson for the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). As many as a dozen more nurseries in southern California are probably infected.

Since 1995, large numbers of tanoaks (Lithocarpus densiflorus), coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) and black oaks (Quercus kelloggii) have been dying in California's coastal counties. The epidemic, referred to as Sudden Oak Death, was first seen on tanoak in Mill Valley (Marin County) in 1995. Since then, it has been confirmed in twelve central coastal counties.

Limits On Tuna

The federal government is now advising pregnant and nursing women and young children to eat only limited amounts of canned albacore “white” tuna because of the potential risk of mercury exposure associated with the fish.

The advice is in response to the latest research showing that mercury concentrations are slightly higher in large albacore species than the smaller skipjack or “chunk light” tuna. The government advises segments of the population at highest risk to consume no more than six ounces a week of albacore tuna.

Starting Early With Osteoporosis Prevention

Millions of young American women don’t not consider osteoporosis a pressing issues until they reach their sixties. However, as many of them learn – often too late – the beginnings of this potentially crippling disease start at around age 30.

Experts say young women should take precautions now to reduce their risk. Each year, 1.5 million people are hospitalized from fractures related to osteoporosis, and 15 to 20 percent die of complications related to the disease.

Farm Bureau Endorse Free Trade Agreements

The American Farm Bureau Federation has given its thumbs up to two free trade agreements, claiming one offers especially important benefits to American farmers.

Farm Bureau trade experts say the Central American free trade agreement will be especially advantageous to U.S. farmers.

“Our economic analysis shows that there’s nearly a $900 million gain for U.S. agriculture in the Central American market,” said AFBF trade specialist Chris Garza.

While conceding that a similar pact with Australia does not offer the same boost, Garza believes that the agreement will benefit the U.S. economy in other ways.

The United States already is Australia’s second largest trading partner after Japan, with two-way merchandise trade valued at $18-billion in 2001-02. An economic benefit model prepared last fall for the Australian government revealed that net benefit in consumption and production for Australia during the next couple of decades would be almost $26 billion dollars and slightly more than $27 billion for the United States.

The Future In A Can?

Jim Farmer, a long-time cattle producer, sees the future of livestock production in 14-oz cans of ready-to-eat beef.

Farmer has joined forces with about three dozen other beef producers, including family members, to create a co-op that seeks to turn about 1,000 cattle a year into canned beef --- very special beef.

“The unique thing about this product is that there is only one ingredient --- beef,” said Mark Uthlaut, one of Farmer’s coop partners.

The product is free of both water and preservatives --- no worries about safety either, thanks to a rigorously strict canning process that rids each can of potentially harmful pathogens.

"Our goal is to make an opportunity in agriculture for all of my descendants, if they choose," said Farmer, 64. "Something like this could help make that happen."

A Win/Win for Growers and Farm Workers?

Whether President Bush’s guest-worker program ever passes muster in Congress is still open to debate. However, a similar bill, which has garnered a strong bipartisan following in both houses merits closer inspection, supporters say.

Supporters of the Agricultural Job Opportunity Benefits and Security Act, better known as AgJobs, argue that the bill would solve an immediate problem facing U.S. growers: the critical shortage of legal workers.

Under the bill, illegal immigrants already working in agriculture could earn legal status. However, they would have to continue working in the fields for a certain number of days for at least three more years before being eligible for residency. The bill also provides better protections for workers who are sometimes exploited by unscrupulous growers, directly or through labor contractors, supporters say.

Green Industry Expo

Organizers of the second annual Green Industry Expo, held recently at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, say it was a huge success. Almost 350 people attended the Educational Seminar and Trade Show sponsored by the Jefferson County Extension Office and co-sponsored by the Greater Birmingham Association of Landscape Professionals.

The expo featured speakers from 3 states. Twelve local horticulture and turf vendors also displayed their products at the trade show.

The event attracted landscapers, parks and recreation workers, golf course superintendents, Master Gardeners and Extension agents from 14 Alabama counties.

Organizers of the event said the expo highlighted a sector in agriculture that impacts a large percentage of Alabama’s population, especially in urban areas, and that will receive increasing emphasis throughout Jefferson and surrounding counties.

More Bison, More “Flexitarian” Lifestyles

The growing mania for high-protein diets coupled with a demand for healthier foods has been a boon for the nation’s bison producers.

The commercial bison slaughter last year was a record 34,444 animals, according to USDA figures --- a 36-percent increase from last year, though still a drop in the bucket compared with cattle.

A major factor behind this trend: Media Mogul Ted Turner. Many consumers are getting their first taste of buffalo compliments of his restaurant chain. In the two years since the chain was launched, 19 restaurants have opened in Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, Colorado, Kentucky and North Carolina. Another 18 are slated to open this year.

Bison producers may also profit from another trend that apparently is being fueled by the same demands for high-protein fare and healthier eating: flexitarianism, a sort of quasi-vegetarianism. More consumers adopting near-vegetarian diets without completely giving up their passion for meat.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m a bad vegetarian, that I’m not strict enough or good enough,” said Christy Pugh 28-year-old flexitarian bookkeeper. “I really like vegetarian food but I’m just not 100 percent committed.”

Farmers: Optimistic, But Hedging Their Bets

Despite BSE concerns, cutthroat competition and a host of other challenges, the nation’s young farmers expressed an unprecedented high level of optimism regarding their future in agriculture, though they are concerned about profitability and believe government should do more to help young people starting out in farming.

The 12th annual survey of participants in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmer and Ranger Program revealed that 81 percent of the respondents expressed optimism about agriculture than five years ago – up more than 20 points from last year and the highest level of optimism since the survey was begun in 1993.

One other trend: Farmers, in increasing numbers, are going back to school. The USDA’s Economic Research Service reports that farmers are going back to school not only to develop business and technological skills to survive in an increasingly competitive industry but also to hedge their bets in case they can’t make a living in farming.

“Given the financial challenges, and the risks involved (in farming), there's just a lot of parents that want their kids, if they are going to come back, to at least get a college education and training, so that if it doesn't work out on the farm, they've got a backup plan,'' said John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union

Suburbanization Continues Apace In Florida

There is no end in sight to the steady onslaught of suburbanization in the Sunshine State. Spreading suburbs are expected to gobble up an additional 3-million acres of land by 2020, a University of Florida expert predicts.

Roughly one-third of the losses are projected to take place in Florida’s most populated counties, where fast-growing cities are spilling over into some of the state’s most productive agricultural land.

For the past two decades, John Reynolds, a professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, has conducted an annual survey of agricultural land values across the state. He’s discovered that the hottest agricultural properties have always been the “transition” lands – agricultural parcels that have caught the eye of developers seeking locations for new neighborhoods or shopping centers.

Ban On Chicken Antibiotic Upheld

An administrative law judge has upheld the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to ban an antibiotic used to treat chickens because it was making human antibiotics less effective.

The drug Baytril, manufactured by Bayer Corp., was ordered off the market in 2000 along with another poultry medication in an effort to limit the spread of antibiotic resistance that enables bacteria to become impervious to drugs they regularly encounter. The FDA targeted the two antibiotics because they are close relatives to a popular family of drugs used to treat human disease.

Brazil Beckons?

Alberta farmer Rick Stankman is one of many North American farmers who returned home disturbed after a Brazilian farm tour --- perhaps even a little disillusioned.

But he was also enticed --- so enticed, it seems, that he may join a growing number of farmers across the United States and Canada who are relocating to this budding South American farming superpower.

Strankman’s thoughts are highlighted along with those of other producers in a series on Brazilian farming featured by Western Producer, a Canadian farm publication.

A New Role For Extension Agents?

Cooperative Extension agents will have a major role to play in the post-9/11 struggle against bioterrorism.

Kansas State University has received a $450,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service to train the nation’s Cooperative Extension agents and crop advisors to diagnose irregularities in field crops.

The federal government’s decision to fund such training was prompted by the post-9/11 possibility that terrorists could damage the food supply by introducing biological pathogens.

Back Burner, For Now --- But Not Going Away

The national debate over meat packer ownership has been put on the back burner for now, due to a spate of court cases and BSE concerns, but it is not going away.

Recent litigation that supporters and opponents consider a bellwether of debate is the recent jury ruling in favor cattle producers who sued Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. over contracts and captive supply.

“I think this is a really exciting case . . . to the packer ownership argument,” says Mindy Larson Poldberg, director of national affairs for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.

“If it stands, it would prove that packer ownership does affect prices.”

Interestingly, regionalism figures into the equation. One reason the packer ban is moving so slowly through the halls of Congress, some observers say, is because the measure is less popular in the South, and Southern lawmakers head both the House and Senate Agricultural Committees.

A Very Smart Chip

bioMerieux, a French biological diagnostics company, has developed a DNA chip that will detect what meat is in a menu item or whether a vegetarian meal is actually free of animal products.

The chips isn’t aimed at consumers but at the food and animal feed industries in the United States and Europe that must follow increasingly stringent rules to account for what actually comprises their products.

The chip is designed to detect 33 species of animals in food.

Smaller Footprints

Roger N. Beachy, president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri, offers this example of how the widespread adoption of transgenic technology has enabled producers to shrink their environmental footprints.

"As a result of these advances, farmers that produce these crops can do so without resorting to the use of the large amounts of chemical sprays that have been part of our highly productive agricultural practices for more than 40 years. It has been estimated, based on recent scientific data, that genetically modified potatoes that carry genes for resistance to Colorado potato beetle and for virus resistance nearly 3 million pounds; 1,500 tons) of chemical insecticides. The savings of insecticides in cotton and corn are far larger. If similar research efforts were undertaken on all of the major fruits and vegetables produced in this country, the reduction in the amount of pesticides used by the farmer that find their way into the soil, water, and air, and that can remain in some grocery produce, would be truly staggering."

Meanwhile, writing in the Sunday Times, Charles Pasternak, director of the Oxford International Biomedical Centre, believes genetically-modified herbicide-resistance isn’t that important to developed countries such as the UK, “which can indulge in their particular choice of agriculture: organic, conventional or GM.” But for many underdeveloped regions of the world, most notably drought-stressed Africa, the use of the technology boils down to a life or death proposition.

"Nowhere are herbicide-resistant crops, coupled with the use of cheap weedkillers, needed more than in sub-Saharan Africa, where 40,000 people — half of them children — are dying from malnutrition daily. We should be helping them by developing and promoting the relevant GM crops, not hindering their salvation by unjustified criticism of the technology."

Expanded BSE Testing

USDA is planning a ten-fold increase in the number of cattle tested for BSE, so-called mad cow disease --- part of the department’s ongoing efforts to safeguard the U.S. beef supply following the first detection of BSE in the United States last December.

The department plans to test more than 221,000 animals during a 12- and 18-month period beginning in June.

The cost of this testing, which is intended to be a one-time-only effort, is projected at $70-million. The widespread testing was prompted by the recommendations of an international scientific panel appointed a week after the first BSE case was detected in Washington state.

Domestic critics of current USDA efforts are still not satisfied. Felicia Nestor, food safety director for the Government Accountability Project, a watchdog group, said the new testing is no guarantee animals with BSE won't enter the food supply.

Defining Low Carb

Food processors are jockeying for a share of the low-carb market. But the question remains: Just what constitutes a low-carb product?

The FDA plans to weigh in with its own definition. It will determine how many carbohydrates are allowed for a food to be advertised as a low- or reduced-carb product.

It’s all part of an effort “demystify the current confusion about carbohydrates," says FDA Deputy Commissioner Lester Crawford, who expects a substantial number of products will have to change their labels as a result.

A Type II Diabetes Link In India

The prevalence of type II diabetes is spiking in countries such as India, and researchers now think they know why.

The increase is particularly seen in people who have low birth weights and subsequently become obese as adults. Researchers previously have attributed this trend to nutritional transition that encompasses increased availability of food, reduced physical activity, and increases in obesity. Now they believe the problem can be traced all the way back to the womb.

They uncovered an association between impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes in young adulthood for children born with a low birth weight. If a low birth weight child crosses into higher categories of weight after age 2, they are at an increased risk for the disease, they discovered.

The Coming of the "Uber-Fish"

It looks innocent enough –- actually, a lot like common Atlantic salmon. But unlike its cousin, it’s been transgenically altered with ocean pout genes, meaning that it won’t freeze in waters that would be deadly to other species. It also grows five times faster than normal salmon.

Environmentalists claim that in the event of the fish’s escape into the wild, it would threaten oceanic biodiversity by out-producing and ultimately crowding out normal salmon as well as many other wild species, many of which already are endangered.

Nonsense claim developers of the transgenic fish. Biotechnological advances such as these, they say, actually will enable fish farmers to shrink their footprint on the environment.

Whatever the case, the transgenic salmon are at the center of the latest ranging debate on the merits of biotech.

The World’s Next Bread Basket?

“The road to the future breadbasket of the world does not go through America's heartland,” writes Kevin Diaz, Washington Bureau chief for the Modesto Bee. “It's being paved instead through the heartland of Brazil's Mato Grosso state, where vast stretches of new farmland can be had for $150 an acre, and good farmhands are happy to make $1 an hour.”

Brazil, long a leading exporter of sugar, citrus and coffee, is also emerging as the world’s leading low-cost producer of common farm commodities such as cattle and corn. Indeed, Brazil already boasts the world’s largest commercial cattle herd and is closing the gap with the United States in corn production. In soybean production, Brazilian producers already excel.

American farmers are crying foul, claiming the nation’s cheap land, low wages and inconsistent regulatory structure give Brazilian producers an unfair edge.

Cracking Down On Andro

The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on a controversial supplement known as andro --- a natural steroid that is dangerous to user’s long-term health.

Twenty-three companies that make or distribute the product already have received warning labels. The FDA vows to act aggressively against any company that continues selling it.

Andro, short for androstenedione, is the supplement that retired St. Louis Cardinals superstar slugger Mark McGwire admitted using in 1998. His athletic record led many other athletes, including millions of teens, to use it as a performance enhancer.

Just because a product is "natural" and is used regularly by a sports superstar doesn't mean it's safe, says Dr. Robert Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutritionist and Auburn University professor of nutrition and food science.

"The only difference between synthetic and natural steroids is synthetic steroids have been made in a laboratory and chemically altered in some way," says Keith.

What most people don't know is that natural steroids may produce many of the same side effects as synthetic hormones, including impaired bone-length growth, liver damage and an increased risk of hormone-related cancers, such as prostate and breast cancer, later in life.

Androstenedione is classified as a "precursor," which means the body converts it directly into testosterone. Highertestosterone levels are prized among quick-burst athletes because it enables them to train harder and recover quicker.

Easier-To-Read Food Labels

The federal government is taking aim at what has become a Tower of Babel for millions of American supermarket shoppers.

In an effort to stem the rising tide of American obesity, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it will revise labels on food packages to make it easier for consumers to monitor their caloric intake.

The agency also plans to crack down on companies whose products carry deceptive food labels.

“Far too many Americans are literally eating themselves to death,” said Human and Health Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. “The epidemic of obesity threatens the health of millions of Americans.”

Alabama’s Role In Cuba’s Transformation

“When the (Cuban trade) embargo is lifted -- and I believe it is now a matter of when rather than if -- Alabama and the rest of the South will play a critical role in Cuba's transformation,” said Dr. Diego Gimenez, Alabama Cooperative Extension System animal scientist and Auburn University associate professor of animal and dairy sciences.

Though Cuba remains a predominantly agricultural country, it has a strong need for many of the commodities grown in the South --- cotton, grain, poultry and eggs and beef and pork. Timber, another commodity Alabama possesses in abundance, is another crucial requirement. When the opening occurs, Gimenez predicts the port of Mobile will become a major hub in Cuban-American trade.

Threatened Birds

Birdlife International, a worldwide watch group, blames unchecked agricultural expansion and unsustainable forestry for the impending extinction of roughly one out of every eight of the world’s birds.

About 1,211 species face extinction, the organization claims. Of these 179 species are critically endangered, 344 face very high risk of extinction and 688 are listed as vulnerable.

Regions with especially high densities of threatened species include the tropical Andes, Atlantic forests of Brazil, the eastern Himalayas, eastern Madagascar and the archipelagos of south-eastern Asia.

Nafta Watchdog Group Opposes Spread of American Transgenic Corn

The trilateral Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a Nafta Watchdog group, claims that if left unchecked, genes spread from American biotech corn have the potential of contaminating or replacing the native ancestor varieties in Mexico, the birthplace of corn.

The findings of a study conducted by the commission raise concerns that gene transfers could damage Mexico's vast storehouse of native corn, whose wild ancestral genes might one day be needed to help commercial crops overcome diseases or adverse conditions.

Mexico declared a moratorium on genetically modified corn in 1998, making it illegal to grow anywhere outside licensed laboratories. However, Amanda Galvez, head of the Mexican government's interagency group on biosafety and genetically modified organisms, points to a study of 188 corn-growing communities across Oaxaca state, which revealed that 7.6 percent of plants tested positive for genetic modification in 2001.

More Calories In Middle School

The switch from elementary to middle school is a rite of passage that often translates into poor nutrition.

A study of almost 600 fourth- and fifth-graders from a southeast Texas school district from 1998 to 2000 revealed that consumption of fruits, non-fried vegetables and milk dropped by one-third or more after children entered middle school. Students also ate between 62 and 68 percent more French fries and sweetened beverages than in elementary school.

One of the primary culprits appears to be the grazing that occurs at snack bars. Few elementary schools offer snack bars, though they are common features in many of the nation’s middle and high schools.

It is a routine repeated day in and day out at many of the nation’s middle and high schools.

“So widespread are sugary soft drinks and high-fat snacks on campus that what children eat at school has become a focus of the debate over how to reverse an alarming increase in overweight and obese youths,” writes Aleta Waton, a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News.

Large Farm Debate in Vermont

An incident in Vermont speaks volumes about American farming, it’s struggle to remain competitive, and it’s increasing challenge from urban sprawl.

For the better part of two centuries, much of the land surrounding the home of Ricka McNaughton has been invested in farming, where livestock, crops and fertilization are a way of life.

Farm and non-farm residents have peacefully coexisted until now. However, a dispute over drinking water quality threatens this peaceful coexistence --- one that underscores the realities facing 21st century American farming. McNaughton and other residents believe the drinking water problem can be traced to the consolidation of smaller farms into large farms --- a merger that is taking place in order for the farms to remain competitive.

The Debate Rages

Another example of how global competition is driving the American farming debate…

Opponents of vertical integration of the pork industry claim that it would degrade the environment, hurt consumers and allow big companies to profit from the sweat and toil of family farms.

However, proponents of the change believe it will have almost entirely the opposite effect, enabling companies to compete more effectively in a global market by providing consumers with a variety of products. Researchers at the Heartland Institute also have found that animal waste is easier to manage in confinement facilities than on pastures where it potentially can be washed off by rainfall into surface water and or leached into groundwater. Also, they point to the vertical integration of the beef industry, where manufacturers were able to add 490 products within the last 10 years.

One other finding: Contract hog production raises total productivity by 20 to 23 on average and by as much as 50 percent.

Health-Friendly Restaurants

Mounting public concerns about obesity and its related health problems have prompted the nation’s restaurant industry to render its fare more health-friendly.

Testifying before Congress recently, the restaurant industry’s top lobbyist, Lee Culpepper, weighed in with his industry’s views on the complex issue of childhood obesity and what can be done about it.

"That is why the restaurant industry has taken steps – market-driven steps – to add even more menu items, many of which are lower in fat, calories or carbohydrates, to accommodate and respond to consumer demand," added Culpepper. "This is nothing new. The industry has long prided itself in having a wide variety of menu items that fit into a healthy lifestyle for children and adults."

Meanwhile, the nutrition watchdog Center for Science in the Public Interest, in what it considers an "historic first," lauded Ruby Tuesday’s, a national restaurant chain, for providing fat and calorie information on its menus.

"By doing that, by saying it will add some more healthful foods, and by its earlier decision to fry in a trans-fat-free cooking oil, Ruby Tuesday stands head and shoulders above its competitors when it comes to nutrition," CSPI nutrition policy director Margo Wootan said in a statement.

Too Darn Fat

“We’re just too darn fat, ladies and gentlemen, and we’re going to do something about it,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, announcing plans for a nationwide campaign to encourage Americans to eat less and exercise more.

The campaign will offer lighthearted, constructive criticism to combat what is widely described as an obesity epidemic.

Roughly 400,000 deaths in 2000 were attributed to poor eating and physical inactivity --- a 33 percent jump from 1990, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

As Close As The Keyboard

Conservation planning soon may be as easy as e-filing tax returns.

USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service Chief Bruce Knight has announced a partnership with John Deere Ag Management Solutions to provide conservation planning software tools for producers and technical service providers.

"This partnership will help NRCS expand its capabilities and meet the enormous demand for conservation," Knight said. "This tool-called Conservation Plug-In-will enable producers to complete certain activities electronically, similar to e-filing tax returns. Not only will we see an increase in efficiency as part of the Administration's e-Gov initiative, but also an increase in the number and quality of conservation plans."

Farm Industry Adapts To New EU Biotech Rules

The nation’s farmers are gearing up to comply with new European Union regulations governing the sale, labeling and approval of food and feed produced using biotechnology.

The National Corn Growers Association will convene a Traceability and Labeling Conference in Washington, D.C., on March 9 to discuss the new provisions.

The EU rules are expected to take effect on mid-April.

Bound To Happen

Given the spike in obesity rates that have occurred within the last few years, it was bound to happen: Obesity is close to passing smoking as the most preventable cause of death.

"Obesity is catching up to tobacco as the leading cause of death in America. If this trend continues it will soon overtake tobacco," said Julie L. Gerberding, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which conducted the study.

If current trends continue, obesity will become the leading cause by next year, with the toll surpassing 500,000 deaths annually, rivaling the number of annual deaths from cancer, the researchers found.

Getting Visceral

Being heavy is bad enough, but if you’re apple shaped, your weight problem is even more threatening.

Scientists are learning that it’s not just excessive weight that threatens your health but where it’s located. They’ve known for a long time that carrying extra pounds around the belly and upper body increases the risk of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancers of the breast, ovary and prostate. Now they're learning why.

The two deposits of belly fat — the subcutaneous layer and a deeper layer — both function like mini-organs, with blood vessels, connective tissue, immune cells recruited from bone marrow and the ability to store and secrete hormones. The inflammatory hormones, enzymes and fatty acids released by this fat increase the risk of diabetes, hypertension and high triglycerides.

Improving The Odds For Black American Males

The usual problems associated with men’s health –-- smoking, high-fat diets and exercising --- apply to black men as well as other Americans. But a growing number of researchers believe that the problems associated with African-American males may involve an even more complicated set of factors, stemming from a complex mix of biology, politics and social influences.

The problem has caught the attention of several groups that are addressing these issues in hopes of assuring that more black men live longer, healthier lives.

BSE Chronology

The Chronicle of Omak, Washington, posted a timeline of BSE, so-called mad cow disease, dating back to February, 1985, when the first case occurred in Britain.

Britain Approves Transgenic Corn

The British government has approved the commercial cultivation of transgenic corn, but only under the strictest of safeguards.

Though the cultivation of transgenic crops has increased worldwide and is commonplace in the United States, biotechnology remains a contentious subject throughout Europe, where citizens fear long-term environmental and health consequences.

The genetically modified product approved for use is Chardon LL maize, a type of corn used for cattle feed that is manufactured by Cropscience, a unit of Germany’s Bayer. The crop will not be planted until spring 2005 at the earliest.

Opponents of the British government’s decision, claiming that it goes against widespread public opinion, plan to fight it.

Dairy As An Obesity Fighter

A new study shows that kids who consume dairy products, are less likely to become overweight, despite the high calories associated with milk and other such products.

Being overweight, now considered the most common health condition associated with young people, currently affects roughly 15 percent of all American youngsters.

While the obvious cause is too much food and too little exercise, many studies are attempting to account for the precise changes in habits that contribute to this mounting problem. Several were reported Thursday at a meeting in San Francisco of the American Heart Association.

Lynn Moore, an epidemiologist at Boston University School of Medicine, found that just two servings of dairy food a day are linked to a substantial reduction in adolescent fatness.

The Lower The Better

A path-breaking study has concluded that cholesterol-lowering drugs can greatly reduce the risk of heart disease and that more Americans should be taking them.

The results support a discussion that has engaged the medical community for years: that lowering cholesterol levels even further below currently recommended levels reduces the risk of becoming sick or dying from heart disease.

Heart patients who maintained extremely cholesterol levels in one study were 16 percent less likely to get sick or to die than those who only achieved what are usually considered optimal levels.

These findings are expected to prompt more physicians to recommend even higher dosages of cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins, for people who are already using them. Likewise, the findings will prompt doctors to prescribe the drug to millions more who are currently not taking them.

Folate’s Fringe Benefits

Pregnant women are not the only people benefiting from folate enrichment. A government study also has found the practice of adding folate to flour has drastically reduced cardiovascular disease, preventing an estimated 48,000 deaths a year from strokes and heart attacks.

Many experts hoped that folate enrichment would aid people’s circulatory system. The vitamin is known to reduce blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that has consistently been linked to heart attacks and strokes. However, the government study is the first evidence from a large, population-based study to suggest this benefit.

Almost a decade ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered that grain foods be fortified with folate, one of the B vitamins, to reduce the risk of neural tube defects. Studies have shown this strategy has worked, reducing these defects by about 20 percent.

What Happened To Mad Cow Madness?

ABCNEWS reporter Ned Potter wonders what happened to “mad cow madness” that swept the country earlier this year.

Following the first detected case of BSE, so-called mad cow disease, in Washington state last December, USDA moved quickly to avert what could have been a major loss of consumer confidence in the U.S. food system. By every measure, their efforts seemed to have worked remarkably well: Americans continue to buy beef and the Wall Street stock prices of major beef producers and buyers, such as McDonald’s and ConAgra, are near 52-week highs.

Most public-health experts contacted by ABCNEWS say they believe the U.S. public is still safe from BSE. They also believe the country is unlikely to suffer a BSE outbreak similar to what occurred in Britain in the 1990’s.

Even so, Potter says, there is still room for improvement.

Balancing Rights In Rural Mecca

Newcomers to the rural Montanan Mecca of Madison County are forewarned: smells of cow poop come with the territory.

It’s the latest chapter in a saga that is being played out as more and more disillusioned city dwellers are drawn to the pastoral splendor of the countryside, only to learn that these pastures also come with cows.

"People have got to realize when they move out and live in the country, agriculture is part of the country," said John Crumley, a McAllister rancher and president of the Madison Valley Ranch Lands Group board. "Manure doesn't smell the best in the world, but when you have cows, that comes with it."

It’s a message Madison County commissioners are trying to spell out in black and white in a new “right to farm and ranch policy.” The policy, which is slated for discussion later this month, would be made into a pamphlet and distributed through county offices and real estate agents. The idea for the new policy was prompted by ranchers whose neighbors had begun to complain more and more about the smells associated with agriculture.

Bird Flu In Maryland

Maryland officials have ordered the slaughter of roughly 328,000 chickens following the detection of avian flu on two large commercial farms --- nearly four ties the number killed after flu was detected in neighboring Delaware last month.

Both the Delaware and Maryland cases have been linked to the same H7 strain, which is not harmful to humans, though it can wipe out poultry farms if it turns up in a highly pathogenic form.

A quarantine covering a two-mile radius of the infected farm also has been established.

The most recent flu outbreak squelches hope that international markets would quickly reopen to American poultry products. Nations imposing bans include the 15-nation European Union, China, Mexico, Russia and South Korea.

Education Crucial To Biotech’s Success, Expert Says

Americans have invested their trust in genetically modified foods. That, at least, is the conclusion of a Purdue University survey, which finds that after being informed about the science behind biotechnology, nine of ten Americans would put genetically modified foods on their table.

Charles Santerre, the Purdue University professor of foods and nutrition who conducted the survey, believes that consumer education nevertheless will remain an “important aspect in the adoption of any technology” and that “activist propaganda” can undermine what he perceives as the truth about biotech.

"Americans, by and large, have much more trust and confidence in their medical professionals and federal government agencies… to provide them with accurate, science-based information on this technology." But in Europe, consumers "are more likely to listen to Greenpeace and other environmental groups." Hence Europe's generally less favorable view of genetic improvement.

Multiple Uses For A Mouthwash Ingredient

A chemical commonly used in mouthwash will soon be enlisted as an antiseptic spray on poultry carcasses to prevent the spread of food-borne illness.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted permission for the spray’s use in poultry processing.

Researcher Cesar Compadre and colleagues at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences spent 10 years and almost $1 million to adopt the chemical for use in poultry production. Harmless to humans and used in mouthwashes and cough drops for decades, the chemical is effective against salmonella, E.coli, Listeria and other germs.

Research into the anti-bacterial qualities of the chemical, cetylpyridinium chloride, or CPC, began in 1988, when Compadre and other researchers received a $50,000 grant.

Although effective in the lab, the chemical and techniques still required a decade to finish testing and obtain patent protection.

Implementing A Meat ID System

Nebraska cattle producers are scurrying to put in place a radio frequency IDsystem that tracks cattle all the way from the rail to the plate.

It’s part of a major push among cattle producers to allay any lingering concerns, particularly among foreign countries, about the safety of U.S. beef following the first detection of BSE in Washington state last year.

"We're getting ready," said state Agriculture Director Merlyn Carlson. "That's the future, and we're getting ready."

Some cattle producers believe that if a reliable system of meat inspection already had been in place last year, Mexico may never had closed its borders to U.S. beef following the BSE detection. Some producers even hope the widespread adoption of the system would persuade Japan and Korea, which also account for a sizeable chunk of U.S. beef exports, to lift their bans. More circumspect producers and agriculture officials, however, consider this a pipe dream.

The Japanese government has stated repeatedly that it would not be satisfied until the U.S. beef industry tests every animal for BSE --- a measure USDA has rejected, claiming it not only is too expensive but unnecessary.

Partial Lifting

Mexico, a major market for U.S. beef, has partially lifted its ban on U.S. imports. It will accept boneless cuts from animals less than 30 months old and veal from animals less than 9 months old.

Mexico’s federal Agriculture Department imposed a ban on U.S. beef on December 24, the day after the first incidence of BSE, so-called mad cow disease, was detected in Washington state.

Mexico is the second largest importer of U.S. beef.

However, the Mexican ban still applies to live animals.

Is Leakage Preventable?

On the issue of genetically modified foods, one of the major bones of contention between the European Union and the United States involves containment - preventing the escape of transgenes into other plants.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and the University of Minnesota - St. Paul have expressed their doubts about whether some escapes can be prevented.

Using mathematical models, the team of scientists explored the effectiveness of proposed containment strategies to inhibit the escape of transgenes - genetic information from other organisms that is artificially inserted into crop plants to make them more resistant to pests, herbicides or climate conditions. The findings, published in the March issue of Ecology Letters, show a high probability that leakage can occur much sooner than expected.

The researchers aren’t advocating and end to biotech altogether. Rather, the challenge will be developing strategies that prevent such escapes.

"Environmentalists say we should stop planting transgenic crops, but that's not going to happen," says Ralph Haygood, a UW-Madison postdoctoral fellow and the lead author of the Econology Letters paper. "Aside from not growing transgenic crops near sexually-compatible wild relatives, we need to investigate ways to reduce the risk."

Contained in Texas

A virulent avian flu strain that erupted last month in Texas appears to be contained.

USDA Undersecretary Bill Hawks says surveillance and testing of poultry farms within a five-mile radius of the farm where the disease was first detected have turned up no evidence of the flu.

“It appears we have contained it,” Hawks said at a national conference of U.S. soybean and corn producers.
That has not stopped Russia, the European Union and several Asian nations from cutting off all U.S. poultry exports, due to the fact that the Texas strain represented a particularly pathogenic form of avian flu.

The Texas flu strain apparently doesn’t threaten humans, although inspectors are closely monitoring workers on the farm where the disease was detected.

Farm Groups to Congress: Don't Cut Ag

Thirteen farm organizations have conveyed a clear message regarding Bush administration plans to cut agricultural programs in the FY 2005 budget --- don’t.

In a letter, sent to House and Senate members, the ad hoc coalition urged opposition to any resolution that incorporated agricultural program cuts.

"Now is not the time to reduce funding for valuable food and agricultural programs," said Dave Frederickson, president of the National Farmers Union, one of the 13 members of the ad hoc coalition. "Many farmers, ranchers and rural communities struggle with inadequate income, infrastructure, schools, health care, transportation and other basic services.

“Our national budget should help create opportunities and improve the quality of life for all citizens, including those in rural America."

According to Frederickson, USDA would take the largest hit of any cabinet level department under the Bush administration’s FY 2005 budget plan. Under the Bush proposal, budget authority for discretionary programs would be reduced by about $1.7 billion or 8.1 percent compared with spending levels adopted for the current fiscal year.

deltafarmpress.com/ar/farming_farm_groups_dont_2/index.htm

Super-Size Nation

Could paleontologists look back on the last few decades as the “Fast Food Drive-Thru Epoch?

Possibly. If you doubt it, just read our hips. TC2, a Raleigh-based company, using light-pulsing, 3-D scanner technology, did just that. It measured roughly 10,000 Americans of all ages and ethnicities. What it found shows that the casual super-sizing at fast-food restaurants is reflected in super-sized hips and mid-sections.

A few of the sobering findings:

Size 8 has long been thought to represent the measurements of the average American woman. In the clothing industry, a size 8 officially is supposed to be a 35-inch bust, a 27-inch waist, and 37 1/2-inch hip.

But in the survey, white women ages 18 to 25 came in, on average, at 38-32-41, with white women ages 36 to 45 coming in at 41-34-43.

"From looking at the interim survey data, we can see the U.S. population has grown taller and heavier, but we are growing heavier faster than we are taller," says TC2's Jim Lovejoy, who conducted the survey.

Meanwhile, either because of genuine contrition or a desire to avert sagging profits, one major fast-food manufacture is de-Super-sizing its menu. McDonald’s has begun phasing out its trademark Supersize fries and drinks as part of an effort to simplify its menu and give customers a wide range of choices to support a balanced lifestyle.

McDonald’s added entrée salads last year and has begun moving toward fruit, vegetable and yogurt options in its Happy Meals.

Biotech in Brown and White

The Brown and White, Lehigh University’s student newspaper, offers an exhaustive history of the growth of biotech and the major role Monsanto has played in the advance of this technology.

A particularly salient quote underscoring the growth of this technology within only the last few years:

"According to the FDA and the Unites States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are over 40 plant varieties that have completed all of the federal requirements for commercialization. In 2000, 68 percent of all GM crops were grown by U.S. farmers. Soybeans and corn are the top two most widely grown crops, with cotton and potatoes right behind them."

Biotech Setback in California

Voters in Mendocino County, California, became the first in the nation to ban genetically modified plants and animals.

By a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent, they approved Measure H, an initiative pushed by the county's organic farmers and one that has far greater symbolic impact than practical effect because such crops are not likely to be introduced in the county for years.

Supporters of Measure H claim it is a huge victory --- especially significant, they say, considering that opponents of the ban spent roughly $621,000 within the county to defeat the measure. Mendocino is a small agricultural county with a population of only 47,000 located 100 miles north of San Francisco Bay.

GMO Free Mendocino, the anti-biotech coalition that sponsored Measure H, says its victory will inspire nine other counties in California to adopt similar measures.

"Passage of Measure H is just the beginning. We're the first county, but the revolution is just starting," said Els Cooperrider, owner of a Ukiah organic brew pub who spearheaded the campaign.

However, opponents of Measure H believe Mendocino voters will eventually reap the whirlwind for opposing biotech.

“Although agricultural biotechnology is widely used and accepted throughout California and the nation, nobody in Mendocino County actually grows genetically enhanced crops,” says Ted Sheely, a San Joaquin Valley farmer and board member of Truth About Trade and Technology, a national grassroots advocacy group based in Des Moines, Iowa, formed by farmers in support of freer trade and advancements in biotechnology.

“Their crops aren’t yet available in genetically enhanced form. But one day they will be, and just as biotechnology saved Hawaii’s papaya industry from a devastating disease a few years ago, it may come to help Mendocino County’s grape growers and pear farmers. Is it really wise to ban something with such amazing potential?”

Meanwhile In Vermont

Opponents of biotech in Vermont are calling on the state's legislators to pass a law requiring labeling of all genetically modified seed.

“This is a small bill. It’s about labeling seed packages basically. It is not earth shaking,” says Rep. Carolyn Patridge, D-Windham, a member of Vermont’s House Agriculture Committee.

Republican Ruth Towne, chairperson of the Ag Committee, disagrees.

“I think it is because of Monsanto. If it were somebody who had discovered this in some garage in the north end of Burlington, (it ) probably would have been the greatest thing since sliced cheese,” she says.

Debate over the bill within the House Agriculture Committee has become so acrimonious that Towne, a Berlin Republican, decided to postpone further work on a series of farm-related bills.

“Well, I think we need a time out,” she says.

Little Protection From Antibacterial Soap

Those antibacterial solutions you’re using around the home --- antibacterial soaps, laundry detergents, etc.--- may not be doing you much good.

A study involving 238 Manhattan families who used only antibacterial solutions for a year were just as likely to get sick as those who used only standard cleaners.

The widespread use of antibacterial solutions has sparked sharp criticism that these products may contribute to the increase of “superbugs.”

Supporters of these antibacterial solutions claim that most illnesses are caused by viruses, which are not vulnerable to these solutions in the first place.

But that’s precisely the point, said Dr. Elaine Larson, associate dean for research at the Columbia School of Nursing, who led the study.

“So since we don’t have a big risk of bacterial infections, then why do we need 72 percent of our liquid soap in this country containing bacterial ingredients?”

The World Is Their Market

Land availability, imports, and agricultural policies, both foreign and domestic, affect U.S. agriculture in variety of ways, says Dr. Marshall Martin, associate director of Ag Research Programs at Purdue University.

“There’s very little new farmland in the U.S.,” Martin says. “The good land we brought into production 100 years ago. In Brazil, there is still a relative abundance of land. There is still a frontier to be brought into production. In Argentina, if they want to bring land into production, they basically have to take it out of pasture.”

This inelastic land supply, he says, has had an adverse impact on farm exports.

“In the early to mid-1980s, there was a sharp decrease in export sales,” he said. “We saw land prices fall.”

Equally damaging to U.S. farming are European Union trade policies, which subsidize European exports, while erecting barriers against U.S. farm exports.

“They limit U.S. access to the European Union market and reduce world commodity prices,” he says. “They still substantially subsidize exports. Farm subsidies encourage excess production in the European Union and raise European Union land values.”

European reservations about genetically modified crops also have harmed the United States, which remains the world largest exporter of these products.

“They [European countries] still are a major market for our soybeans, even though they’re Roundup Ready,” he said. But on some things like Bt corn, they’re really hung up on GMO.”

Low U.S. interest rates, on the other hand, have been a boon for American farmers, he says.

“The federal government has lowered interest rates to stimulate the economy,” he said. “A weaker dollar encourages exports and increases demand for U.S. commodities. Government deficits and tax reform help stimulate the economy. Those expenditures put the money into circulation; some of that ends up affecting agriculture.”

Working For Fair Trade

It’s the one constant in an ever-changing universe of shifting regional and international trade agreements: There are always going to be winners and losers, says Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Balancing the effects of trade negotiations on various American crops is by no means an exact science and it often doesn’t work to the benefit of everyone, he says.

“AFBF must balance the effects of proposed trade agreements on a dozen or more commodities,” he says. “Just as it would be highly unlikely that AFBF would ever support a trade agreement that allows one commodity sector a windfall of benefit at the expense of all others, it is also highly unlikely that we would ever oppose a trade agreement that offers genuine opportunity for most all commodities even though it might mean some increased competition in a few areas.”

Even so, he says, the AFBF’s trade policy has always emphasized measures aimed at minimizing the “adverse impacts trade agreements may have on import-sensitive crops.”

“We always encourage our trade negotiators to seek the best and fairest deal possible, and, yes, that has always included asking them to secure provisions or concessions to mitigate the impact of trade agreements on import-sensitive U.S. commodities,” he said.

Wild Hogs On The Loose

Agriculture officials in Texas are stepping up efforts to control an increasingly serious wild hog problem in Houston, where homeowners are complaining about damage the animals are causing lawns. The hogs are also known to harm young livestock, especially lambs and goats.

Basically domestic hogs gone wild, feral hogs are as different as night and day from their domestic cousins in one respect: their aggressiveness.

Even people aren’t immune to their attacks.

"Feral swine are very aggressive. They'll lock eyes and be in your shirt pocket before you know it," says Corrie Bowen, Galveston County Agriculture agent.

The presence of the wild hogs may turn out to be a bonanza for hunters. There are no limits on feral hogs and the animals always are in season.

Wild hogs, however, are known to carry diseases, and those who trap or kill the animals are being encouraged to contact Texas animal health and wildlife control authorities.

Losing Out On New Biotech Rules

Europe and developed countries are claiming partial victory over the United States concerning new roles governing the labeling of genetically modified commodity shipments.

U.S. government observers at a conference of 80 European and developing nations that adopted the new rules claim it will disrupt international trade. Supporters of the new measures believe it represents a vital safeguard for bioengineered foods.

The new rules will require more detailed information in the identification papers that accompany bioengineered shipments – a provision the United States, the world’s leading exporter of genetically modified foods, considers unnecessary. The participating nations also agreed to begin negotiating a liability regime that allows people to seek compensation from biotech exporters if transgenic organisms contaminate their environment or harm their health.

Still Kicking Despite Globalization

Despite the tide of globalization sweeping the world, cooperatives are still around in most parts of the world, though they remain limited to some sectors of the economy and face huge challenges.

The biggest challenge is the same regardless of location: competing with multinational corporations that are better positioned to accept lower profit margins and, therefore, better equipped to squeeze out cooperatives.

Not to be outdone, the International Cooperative Alliance is demanding that national governments around the world grant cooperatives more autonomy and a more level playing field to compete with multinationals. It is also believes government assistance should continue.

However, this is a double-edge sword, says Ashok B. Sharma, writing for financialexpress.com.

“But continuation of financial assistance from government may not result in autonomy for the cooperatives,” he says. “It is a fact that one who contributes finance always want to keep his stake.”

Optimism Remains

Cattle producers remain optimistic despite the first detected case of BSE, so-called mad cow disease, in the United States last year.

“The good news was that consumers continued eating beef,” writes Chris Anderson of pantagraph.com, a central Illinois online newspaper. “They learned risks were minimal. Consumers also knew that bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, was not contagious among cattle. It's contracted by cattle eating bovine brain and spinal cord tissue.”

And while cattle prices took a hit last year because of BSE, cattle producers still enjoy an advantage from last year.

"We're $10 higher than a year ago. If we can open the markets to Mexico and Japan, cattle could go to 80 cents," says Les Reel, owner of Reel Livestock Center in Congerville.

A Gray Picture of Alabama Farming

A federal census of agriculture paints a gray picture of Alabama agriculture.

Much like a century ago, families or individuals handle most of the farming in Alabama. But that’s where much of the comparison ends. For unlike a century ago, most 21st century Alabama farmers are considerably grayer. Most farm about 200 acres. Many have little to show for it from the standpoint of profit. Some farm only as a sideline.

The average age of an Alabama farmer was 56.6 compared to 54.7 in 1997, according to the USDA’s preliminary 2002 census.

One of the greatest threats to many of these farms appears to be encroaching urbanization. High real estate values, particularly in Madison, Shelby and Baldwin counties, continue to transform farmland into pavement, writes Garry Mitchell, Associated Press reporter.